Decluttering Your Creative Space

Even when the rest of your house might be tidy and decluttered (it’s an ongoing task, we know!), it’s easy to overlook a creative, crafty space or studio as fundamentally messy. We excuse ourselves that the mess of creativity and art is all part of the creative journey.

But, we’re taking advice from the much-loved author of The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying, Marie Kondo, and her ethos that objects should ‘spark joy’. Where better to create a hub of ‘joy sparking’ left, right and centre to inspire our creative pursuits than a creative space or studio?

Here’s our top 3 tips to decluttering your creative space…

Keep Calm and Categorise

If I know creative spaces and craft rooms, I know they are full to the brim with old, forgotten projects, projects that never got started and materials-galore. One key tip is to find storage system (drawers or shelves) that can be labelled.

Keeping your paints, wool, needles and everything else in between in it’s very own place. The process of categorising in this way will inevitably make it clear when you’ve been hoarding – or those old dried up paints and pens that really need to go. Always remember to ask yourself – does it spark joy?

If the answer’s ‘no’, out it goes… (maybe to your local charity shop, school or the friend who’s been eyeing up that fabric for forever)

Tidy & Refresh

No doubt your creative space gets invaded by ‘outside’ clutter… Those empty coffee cups, that hairbrush – they’re probably not conducive to a creative and clear head. Get rid of anything that doesn’t need to be there and doesn’t inspire your next project.

It’s really worth keeping your desk or table top as clear as possible to reflect your headspace, and anything that does find it’s way there should have it’s own place. As well as keeping the table top clear, try keeping the floor clear too – for moving, rather than storing. Have a look for shelving units and drawers instead of piled up boxes and clutter on the floor.

Keep on Top of it

It’s easier to do little and often than an annual purge. One tip to keep on top of it is to re-visit your drawer/shelf set up whenever you bring new variations of materials in. It usually reminds you that you’ve just upgraded or the old stuff is unusable – so it’s time to donate or get rid!

Another tip is to keep storage systems open and visible, so you can see what you have every day. This way, there’s nothing to hide – and it may encourage more creativity (and decluttering!) than if it were hidden away at the bottom of a box.

As Marie Kondo would say, does what you can see around you spark joy and inspiration?

So, there you have it! Some top tips to decluttering your creative space.

It’s incredibly refreshing and good for your happiness levels to keep your space under control. We love Marie Kondo’s ethos about items needing to spark joy and think of creative spaces and studios as being places of sanctuary and inspiration.

Our art and craft materials and objects should be loved and looked after, not hidden away, never to see the light of day. We hope you found some nuggets of inspiration to declutter your creative space!

(We’ve included a referral link to Marie Kondo’s book, but only because we think it’s worth reading!)

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